DeMatha's McGregor Coached Notable Program

It was a hot afternoon in September, 2009 as Bill McGregor, the long-time football coach at , was leading a practice.

But it was not just one practice at Riverdale Park.

While McGregor was the head varsity coach, the Stags also had practice going on for junior varsity and freshman teams.

The program had an assistant coach for nearly every position on both sides of the ball at the varsity level.

“That’s how we are. We’re a family,” McGregor said in a story on the DeMatha website a few weeks ago. On Monday it was McGregor, who has sent dozens of players to the college level, who held a team meeting at the school to tell his players he was stepping down as the football coach.

“I am moving on to a different phase of my life and am exploring different options,” McGregor said in a statement Monday. “DeMatha has been great to me and my family. I cannot thank the administration, faculty, staff and DeMatha family enough for all of the support throughout the years. The DeMatha players made DeMatha what it is today. DeMatha was a great place before I got here; it will be a great place after I leave.”

McGregor, who also has several of his players in the National Football League, has helped hundreds of boys at the all-male school just off Baltimore Avenue in Hyattsville gain college scholarships. Among the former DeMatha players who were with college teams last fall were , Gannon (PA) quarterback Daniel Tapscott and Aaron Conaway, who was a sophomore running back at Villanova. Another former DeMatha player, Brian Westbrook, played at Villanova and in the NFL.

McGregor was the head coach for 29 years at DeMatha and posted a record of 270-37-3, according to The Washington Post. DeMatha alums who have made it to the NFL include Byron Westbrook, Edwin Williams, Quinn Ojinnaka, John Owens, Cameron Wake and Josh Wilson, the latter of who played for the Baltimore Ravens last season. Joe Howard, a former player for the Redskins, has been a varsity assistant at DeMatha.

Last year as a freshman, Coker ran for 219 yards for Iowa in a win over Missouri in the Insight Bowl. Coker, from Beltsville, set a school record for yards rushing in a Bowl game and was named the MVP of the game.

“That doesn’t mean nearly as much as getting the win for our seniors. Not nearly as much,” Coker told reporters after the game.

Coker sounded a lot like McGregor, who created a family atmosphere at DeMatha. The Washington Post reported that McGregor might take a position with Gilman in Baltimore. It was that same Gilman team that Coker ran over and through for a DeMatha record 392 yards in a 56-35 win in 2009. He also had five touchdowns.

“He could have had 892 if he wanted to,” Gilman coach Biff Poggi told reporters after that game. “That’s the most physical DeMatha team we’ve ever played.” Now there is a chance McGregor could work with Poggi at Gilman.

The atmosphere for DeMatha football was not for everyone. With a lot of competition for playing time, some students would transfer to other schools if things did not work out with the Stags. That was the case for Tyler Drew, who played running back for St. Vincent Pallotti High in Laurel last fall as a senior after transferring from DeMatha. He said the main reason for the transfer was a chance for more playing time.